By Ashley Karen
A consortium of global tunneling experts has granted the $3.6b first tunnel contract for SRL (Suburban Rail Loop) East to build 16km of twin tunnels between Cheltenham and Glen Waverley. The excavation will begin in 2026, convert Melbourne’s public transport network, and generate thousands of jobs.
Acciona Construction and Ghella, CPB Contractors, have vast experience in Victoria, Australia, plus overseas. The contract contains several industry-leading innovation and environmental initiatives, which will assist with making SRL East one of the most sustainable projects in Australia’s history.
The four TBMs (tunnel boring machines) for this section will be powered by renewable electricity, and construction and materials emissions will be decreased by 20%.
On the jobs front, opportunities will be increased for skilled workers and training, and at least 12% of hours to be worked by trainees, apprentices, and cadets.
In addition, the contract will incorporate 55 safety cross passages between the tunnels, station boxes at Clayton and Monash, and the construction of portals – the entrances and exits to the tunnels – at the stabling facility.
Most of the ground preparation works needed to excavate safety cross passages between the twin tunnels will be driven underground, decreasing surface impacts on residents, schools, and roads.
SRL East will generate up to 8000 direct jobs and provide six new underground stations between Cheltenham and Box Hill, cutting travel times and congestion and linking people to new housing options and critical employment, health, and education destinations in Melbourne’s east and southeast.
Construction is advancing across the SRL East corridor, with workers in Burwood employing excavators, cranes, and pile-drilling rigs to construct a 19m deep, 38m long, and 29m wide tunnel boring machine launch site.
Moreover, two selected bidders for the Tunnels North contract between Glen Waverley and Box Hill are currently at the Request for Proposal stage, with the contract to be granted next year.
In a different package of works, two consortia have been selected to construct the fleet of high-tech SRL trains, signaling systems, and operation and maintenance of the SRL East network. This Linewide Alliance contract is envisioned to be granted in 2025.
